Using diplomacy to create jobs

Today’s headlines are filled with conflict — from uprisings in Syria to last week’s bomb blasts in New Delhi and Bangkok. So it’s only natural that, when most people think of diplomacy, they think of negotiations on matters of war and peace. But that’s only half the story. Our diplomats and development experts are out there protecting America’s national security, including our economic strength – a dual mandate of peace and prosperity.

Here’s why we, as diplomats, care about economics: We live in an era when the size of a country’s economy is every bit as important to exercising global leadership as the size of its military. Meanwhile, our investment in development prevents conflict and cultivates future allies and consumers of American goods. We’re working at the highest levels with our partners in Europe and Asia to stabilize and balance the global economy. And closer to home, the American people are hungry for an economic recovery that depends on reaching beyond our borders to find new customers and new markets. That means the State Department — which manages our relationships around the world — is essential to exercising our economic influence, keeping Americans prosperous, and creating jobs here at home.

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This week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will host the first-ever State Department Global Business Conference in Washington, D.C. Participants range from leaders of organizations promoting U.S. businesses in more than 120 countries to senior executives of major American businesses to senior U.S. government representatives, including Vice President Biden. We have designed this international gathering to generate exciting ideas on how the United States government can better help businesses find new export markets, accelerate America’s economic renewal, and — most importantly — put the American people back to work.

As a former businessman, I know that building sustainable global growth and creating jobs at home is a joint venture: the private sector innovates and allocates capital, and the government opens doors to new markets and ensures that the rules are fair. Given the economic hardship Americans are suffering today, we must bring this partnership between business and government to the next level. On the government side, we must use all the tools at our disposal – including diplomacy and development – to support our businesses and grow the economy. That’s what this conference is all about.